Arrows and Mustangs
by Silverwing2012
Summary: Life becomes even more interesting for Connor as he begins his freshman year of college. What will life have in store for him, Haytham, Ellie, and all of his friends? *Tomahawks and Briefcases Sequel* Modern/AU Connor/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, here is the long awaited sequel to Tomahawks and Briefcases! This is going to be a oneshot series of stuff that ties up loose ends and creates new situations for our favorite Assassins (and Templar). **

**So, I hope you all enjoy **

**-Silverwing**

* * *

It was Friday, and it seemed like a normal night at the campus of the College of Saint Rose. The autumn wind blew through the trees, causing a certain tree branch to slap against a certain student's window.

Connor sighed and tapped his pencil against his Intro to Microbiology textbook. Coach Faulkner had given the baseball team a day off, so that meant no workouts. Desmond wasn't in the room either, so that took away another source of entertainment for Connor.

He tossed his pencil aside, wondering why he was stooping to homework to keep him busy on a Friday night.

Ellie must be getting to him.

Glancing at his phone, Connor decided that it wasn't too late to call his girlfriend. He swiped it up and tapped in her number, drumming his fingertips on his desk as he waited.

"Hey, what's up?" Ellie asked. Rustling noises sounded in the background.

Connor leaned back in his chair. "What are you doing?"

More rustling noises sounded out before she replied. "I was working on homework. Do you know how boring it is around here now that you all graduated?"

Connor grimaced. He could only imagine how boring it would be without his friends. "I don't wanna know."

"Too bad. Listening to my complaining is on your list of boyfriend duties," Ellie teased.

With a grin, Connor switched his phone to his other hand. "Oh no, not this duty again."

"Oh quiet, I know you could care less."

Connor opened his mouth to reply, but the door bursting open caused him to pause. Desmond always came in dramatically.

"Did Desmond just walk in?" Ellie chuckled.

"Dude, I have something we can do tonight. Tell Ellie goodbye!" Desmond crowed, punching Connor's arm playfully.

Connor furrowed his brow at him and shoved him away, focusing on Ellie again. "Desmond wants me to do something."

"So I heard."

"Should I?"

"I'm not your keeper."

"That's on your list of girlfriend duties though."

Ellie barked out a laugh. "Only cause your dad asked! Go have fun. Tell me about it in the morning."

Connor rolled his eyes and said goodbye, scowling up at his friend. He didn't get to talk to Ellie all the time, and it always irritated him when their calls were cut short.

"What is it?" he sighed, standing up. He suddenly felt curious. What did Desmond have planned?

"Come on, the seniors are inviting a bunch of people to their apartments tonight," he paused, "This could be our first chance to really party this semester! Come on!"

Connor remembered the last party he went to. It almost caused him to lose his best friend. "No. Not happening."

"Come on! The guys are expecting us! Anyway, they love you. I won't get to hang out for long if you're not there," Desmond pleaded.

With a sigh, Connor stood up. "Fine, but I'm not staying there all night and I'm not drinking."

Desmond beamed at him, tossing Connor the Mustang's keys. "That's alright with me, Double D."

He walked toward the door. "I'm gonna get fucked up tonight!" he crowed, pumping a fist in the air.

Connor almost rolled his eyes. This was one of the few downsides to living with Desmond. He liked to go out when he could, while Connor usually stayed in and did whatever he felt like doing. And, when Desmond did manage to drag Connor out, Connor was the Designated Driver.

The boys made their way to Connor's Mustang and they were on their way in no time. "So what makes you think the guys don't like you?" Connor asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

Desmond rubbed the back of his head. "Shit, I don't know. I feel like they see me as the annoying freshman."

Connor honestly didn't know what he was talking about. Most of the seniors that were infielders did nothing but talk about how much they liked Desmond.

Perhaps tonight could prove to Desmond that what he thought wasn't true.

The apartments two of the seniors, Jack and Andy, lived in were a few blocks off of campus and they were known partiers. This could either end up being a very good night or a very bad night; Connor didn't know.

When the door opened, Connor immediately felt uncomfortable. It was loud, messy, and crowded.

Connor regretted letting Desmond drag him here.

"Heeeeeey! It's the two star freshmen!" a loud, obnoxious voice crowed over everyone else.

Soon, the other baseball players were crowded around the duo, causing Connor to be even more uncomfortable.

"Dez, come try this new shit I found! You won't be able to piss straight after drinking it," Andy laughed, dragging Desmond toward the kitchen.

Jack, the other senior, rested his elbow on Connor's shoulder. The pitcher shook his head. "Poor kid, I hope he has good alcohol tolerance."

Connor arched a brow. "Why?"

"The shit Andy is talking about it Summer Brew…only with 100 proof vodka instead of the normal shit," Jack snickered.

Yup, tonight was going to be a long one if Desmond was going to try it.

* * *

Jack wasn't drinking, so Connor stuck around him the rest of the night. And surprisingly, Connor was enjoying himself. Soon, he found himself playing Super Smash Bros. on Jack's old GameCube.

"Pause it man. I gotta piss," Jack said, tossing his controller on the couch.

Connor paused the game and stared at the screen. He glanced at his phone and was shocked to see that it was 1 o' clock in the morning already.

"Hey."

Something soft suddenly touched Connor's arm and he glanced over to see the tall, brunette girl that sat next to him in Biology.

"Uh…hi…"

Crap, what was her name?

"I'm Myriam," she said, sitting down on the couch next to him, "you're Connor, right?"

She scooted closer, resting her arm on the back of the couch behind him. "Are you having fun?" she asked, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

Connor stared at the TV screen again, being reminded of when a pair of twinkling, green eyes would do that to him instead. He didn't like where this was going. Myriam was inching closer to him and he was running out of space on the couch. "Sure," he choked out, looking at anywhere but her.

He could feel her leaning against his arm now and he came to the conclusion that she had a little to drink. She usually was more focused and serious in class.

"You're pretty cute, Connor," she giggled, saying his name in a husky tone.

Shit.

"Myriam."

"Yeah?" she cooed.

"I'm not single," he said with a stern look.

Her big, brown eyes blinked in shock as she backed away a little. She quickly scooted to the other side of the couch. "I'm so sorry I didn't know I-"

Connor instantly felt bad. He always did when a girl looked like her feelings got hurt. "It's okay. You didn't know," he quickly said, hoping she could see it really wasn't a big deal.

Myriam pulled her hair over her shoulder, looking down at her lap. "Now I feel dumb," she laughed with no humor.

"Don't. It's okay."

Myriam gasped and looked at him. "Is she here? Crap, I hope I didn't cause anything-"

"No. It's cool," he said, becoming slightly irritated. It wasn't like he had a shirt saying 'Taken' on it or anything.

"Shit," she hissed, letting her head fall on the back of the couch with a 'thud'.

She suddenly looked at him. "I should have known. Guys like you are usually taken. Anyway," she held out her hand, tottering a little, "Truce? I don't want it to be awkward in class now."

Connor shook her hand. "Truce." Now, he hoped she would drop it.

"What's her name?"

Connor wondered where the hell Jack went. "Ellie."

"Do you have a picture?"

Deciding to keep her distracted, Connor pulled up a picture of him and Ellie on his phone that Ellie had forced him to take, handing it to her.

The picture was of them at the Imagine Dragons concert they went to last summer.

"Wow, she's cute. I didn't stand a chance," Myriam laughed, handing his phone back. She tottered a little and Connor helped her stay upright.

"You shouldn't put yourself down like that."

He hated it when Ellie said any part of her wasn't good enough, he didn't know why girls did that to themselves anyway.

"Myriam, are you okay?"

Jack had finally returned and he gently rested a hand on Myriam's shoulder. Connor suddenly saw the resemblance between the two. Jack had mentioned his little sister going here, but Connor never put two and two together.

Myriam waved him off. "I'm fine," she said, standing up. "See ya, Connor. You should bring Ellie here sometime."

Jack laughed. "Connor's girlfriend coming here? I still think those pictures are fake."

Connor frowned. No one believed him when he said he was already dating someone, and it was starting to irritate him. He couldn't wait until Ellie convinced Eliza and Peter to let her visit some weekend.

"Whatever, just let me kick your ass on here now," Connor growled, tossing the remote to his teammate.

"Jesus, take a joke man," Jack laughed, plopping down beside him.

Myriam walked away and Connor started to wonder if he should tell Ellie about what happened or not. Myriam wasn't the first girl that did that to him that night, but they refused to believe he was single.

The bad thing was that wasn't the worst thing that happened that night.

* * *

Haytham grumbled as he sorted through the stack of papers for his most recent case. His close friend, Charles, was sitting on the couch.

"What's the case this time?" Charles asked, steepling his fingers.

"They want me to prosecute a robber. It shouldn't be difficult." All of the evidence in the files was against the twat. Haytham knew he had this case as soon as he saw it.

Charles nodded and stood up, stepping over to the TV. He began to inspect the dual swords. "How's your boy doing?"

Haytham grinned, thinking about when Connor had called him. Connor was overreacting to some of the dues the college sprung on him and Haytham had to remind him that he didn't have to worry about it.

"Frugal and hardworking as ever," Haytham chuckled, tossing the papers down on the coffee table.

"I still can't believe I went a whole school year without knowing he was your kid. He looks like you in the face, now that I think about it," Charles mused.

"Well," Haytham smirked, "You don't want to hear what he and his friends had to say about you most of the time. Apparently, you're an arsehole."

_And a slob,_ Haytham chuckled to himself. He honestly hated how Charles didn't use deodorant, and he wasn't afraid to tell him. But, Charles refused, stating that deodorant can cause cancer or something.

Charles shrugged. "Not the first time I've heard that. I just try to make them think a little."

Haytham rolled his eyes. "Kids? Thinking? Don't make me laugh, Charles."

Turning away from the swords, Charles looked down his nose toward his friend. "How have you been? Since the incident this summer, that is."

The now familiar, heavy weight settled on Haytham's shoulders as he thought about what happened in May. The very thing he had feared happening for almost two decades came to be. He remembered when Altair, one of the FBI agents involved, told him how Connor somehow managed to slip away from them and almost came to hand over the papers to the traffickers alone.

"I'm fine," Haytham said curtly, standing up and heading toward the kitchen.

"Oh please, the last time you said that was when you just came back from-"

Haytham held up and hand and glared at Charles over his shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it, Charles," he snapped.

He halted in the 'Weapon Room,' as Connor called it, when his phone started to ring. Tugging it out of his pocket, he arched a brow when he saw Connor's name.

"Sorry Charles, I have to play 'father' for a second."

"Go ahead," he said, walking past Haytham toward the kitchen.

Haytham cringed at the trail of body odor he left behind and quickly pressed the 'answer' button. "Hello?"

"I'm in deep shit."

Haytham frowned. That was not the first thing he wanted to hear when his son called. "How so?"

"Well, some girls started to flirt with me last night and none of them believed me when I told them I wasn't single and when I told Desmond and some of the other guys they told me that I was in deep shit. What should I do?"

Connor said the statement so quickly that Haytham almost didn't catch it.

It took all of Haytham's willpower to not laugh. "And…why is this a big deal again?"

"What if Ellie finds out? She'll kill me!"

"So what? It's not like you talked to them first." Oh college, how Haytham didn't miss those days whatsoever.

"But-"

"Be a man, grow some bollocks, and then tell your girlfriend the truth if she finds out. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go if that's your biggest problem-"

"That's actually not my biggest problem."

Haytham was actually worried now. "What happened?"

"Well…Desmond and the guys were-you know-partying and…well."

"Just spit it out!"

"My windshield is broken."

Haytham sighed. "How in the bloody hell did that happen?"

"Some of the guys decided they wanted to play catch and my car was caught in the crossfire," Connor meekly explained.

"Did you have anything to do with it?"

"No! I was the DD."

Haytham grinned. He honestly was glad his son didn't drink. Haytham couldn't remember half the shit he did when he was drunk, and all he knew was that none of it was good.

"It's alright. Just take it to the nearest shop and get it fixed. The refund money you got from the school should cover it."

"You're not mad?"

"What were you expecting? A lecture? You were being responsible and they weren't. If anything, get new friends."

Haytham paused and smirked. "And God forbid your girlfriend finds out some chits hit on you."

"I never should have told you."

"Why did you?"

Connor paused and sighed. "Well, I didn't want Desmond's advice. And you know more about that crap than I do."

Haytham's heart sunk a little. The sinking feeling was slowly replaced by a warm feeling when he realized what his son just admitted. "You're welcome. Now go get that damn windshield fixed."

"Yes, sir," Connor said sarcastically, hanging up.

Haytham chuckled before putting his phone back in his pocket. He walked into the kitchen to see Charles giving him a knowing smirk.

"A broken windshield?"

"Yes. Drunk boys are something you don't want around cars."

"Was Connor-"

"No, he said he was the designated driver. He wouldn't have been able to talk to me just now if he did drink."

Charles hummed in thought before letting out a laugh. "Remember when we broke that window in Austin Hall?"

Haytham blinked in shock. "You remember that night? I don't."

"You were the one that threw the rock at the damn window!"

And that was why Haytham didn't miss college.

* * *

"So, are you hanging out with Connor for Halloween?" Claudia asked.

Ellie sighed, looking through her clothes. She finally convinced Eliza and Peter to let her visit Connor over the weekend, and it happened to be Halloween weekend. One of the boys' new friends was willing to let her stay in her dorm room, which was the only reason why her foster parents even considered the option.

"Yeah, but I don't want to wear my Fiona costume to a college get-together."

"Do a couple thing with Connor. I'm sure you could bully him into something," Claudia laughed over the phone.

Tucking her phone between her shoulder and ear, Ellie pulled at her various costumes from the past. She honestly didn't know why she kept them.

"Yeah, but I don't want to make him uncomfortable. He gets nervous in large crowds. I don't know how Desmond convinces him to go out."

"Look, he honestly must want to go if you guys planned that. Just calm down and think about the positives. At least you get to see your boyfriend and you can get away from Saratoga for a weekend," Claudia paused and snickered, "Besides, you'll get to experience your first college party. They're really not all they're made out to be, just warning you."

Ellie rolled her eyes. Connor told her as much. He hated them. A flash of red appeared in the corner of her eye and she shoved her clothes aside. She arched a brow at the knee length, deep red dress. Eliza had bought it for her for church and Ellie had refused to wear it, stating that it was too nice for normal Sundays. The skirt had a couple under layers, making the skirt flow out.

A light bulb suddenly lit up in Ellie's head.

"Claudia?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember that red dress Eliza bought me a year ago that I refused to wear?"

"What about it?"

"I just thought of a costume idea with Connor."

"Oooooh, do tell."

"Ever heard of the Big Bad Wolf?"

* * *

Connor twiddled his thumbs throughout the last minutes of his English class. It was Friday and Ellie was supposed to be there in an hour.

The teacher, a plump, middle aged man wearing a sweater vest, finally looked at the clock and said, "Alright, remember to do your reading for Monday. Have a good weekend."

Connor stuffed his spiral and book into his bag and basically powerwalked out of the classroom. He hurried across campus. Luckily, the team workout was this morning, so all Connor had to do was meet Ellie at his dorm now.

"Connor!"

Connor halted in his tracks, frowning. His frown disappeared when he saw Myriam quickly walking toward him.

Surprisingly, Myriam had quickly become his friend after the weekend his windshield was broken. She never mentioned flirting with him and they were a power team on Microbiology assignments.

"Hey! Text me when you're girlfriend gets here and I'll help her get settled in, kay?" she said, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

"I will."

They began to walk back to the Co-Ed dorms together. "How was the workout this morning?" she asked, glancing up at him.

Myriam was basically the baseball team's little sister now because of Jack, so she knew everything about their schedule.

With an eye roll, Connor shrugged. "The usual. Coach yelled at us and we lifted."

Connor didn't want to admit felt distracted during the whole workout. For once, he didn't care about how much he lifted or how fast he did box jumps. He just wanted to get out and have the day be over.

He realized just how much he missed seeing Ellie for the past week as well. Talking to her on the phone or Skyping was one thing, but actually seeing her was a whole different ballpark.

"Are you excited?" Myriam asked, bringing him back to the present.

Connor didn't even try to hold back his grin. "Yeah, I've really missed her."

Myriam smiled and punched his arm. "Well, get going. I'll be waiting in my room until whenever."

They parted ways and Connor opened to door to see Desmond laying on his bed, tossing a baseball in the air.

"Hey man, what are you and Ellie gonna do tonight? I don't want to be around if you are going to-"

"Funny Des," Connor growled, tossing his book bag – that happened to have three textbooks in it – on Desmond's stomach.

"Oof! Jesus! Take a joke," Desmond laughed, shoving the book bag off of him.

Connor opened his mouth to retort, but his phone vibrating stopped him. He quickly tugged it out and grinned when he saw the name on the message bar.

He pointed at Desmond. "Behave."

Desmond's colorful retort followed Connor into the hallway.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Connor scanned the road and the parking lot. He smiled when he saw Ellie's bright red bug parked next to his Mustang. The door opened and Connor's heart started to race as Ellie stepped out, waving at him.

He started to run toward the cars, not caring who saw him.

Ellie met him halfway, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his own around her waist.

Their gazes met and before he could say anything, she kissed him.

God, he missed her.


	2. Chapter 2

Connor and Desmond stared at the paper sack Ellie had dropped on the bed before she used their bathroom.

"Dude, what do you think it is?"

"I don't know."

The boys looked at each other before peering into the sack. All Connor could see were a few feathers and fur. What the heck?

"Aren't you going to look at it?"

The sound of Ellie's voice caused both boys to jump a little. "Can we?" Connor asked, glancing at her. He didn't know if she wanted it to be a surprise or not.

She smirked and stepped over to the bed. Picking up the sack, she slowly and carefully pulled whatever it was out. Connor recognized it immediately.

"Your Grandma actually helped me with this. She said she had this pelt for years and she helped me spice it up," Ellie held it out for him.

Connor gently grabbed the pelt, running his fingers through the wolf fur. His grandfather used to let him wear the wolf hood when he was a kid, but now; it was even better. Ellie and his grandmother had managed to sew feathers on the back of the hood, giving it the Native American, rustic feel.

"Wow," Connor murmured, pulling it onto his head.

Ellie's eyes widen when he finished situating it. "Wow, is right," she chuckled, adjusting it a little.

"So…what is he supposed to be? Wolf Man?" Desmond chuckled.

Ellie arched a brow. "Nope. If you want a clue, I'll be wearing a red hood."

Connor instantly knew what her idea was. "Big Bad Wolf?"

Desmond cackled. "Holy shit, I never imagined that you would want to do the corny couple costume, Ellie!"

Ellie frowned and planted her hands on her hips. "Laugh all you want, we'll still have fun."

Connor tried to imagine Ellie dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, and his cheeks started to tingle as he felt a blush forming. He honestly didn't mind doing a couple thing. It would make her happy, and it meant less planning for him. Also, he was just glad she was here to boss him around again.

He honestly missed it.

"So, what are you guys planning to do tonight anyway? The party is tomorrow," Desmond asked, flopping down onto his bed.

"We're going out to get some dinner. Do you want anything?" Connor asked, tucking his wallet in his pocket.

Desmond rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about me. Go have fun, kids."

Ellie shrugged and grabbed her purse. "You sure?"

"Get out of here! I know you two want some alone time," Desmond insisted, waving them out.

It was Connor's turn to roll his eyes as he grabbed his keys and opened the door for Ellie.

"Remember to use a condom!" Desmond obnoxiously yelled as the door closed.

Connor was surprised Ellie didn't stop him from going and punching his friend for once.

* * *

"This campus is actually kind of pretty," Ellie stated, scooping some ice cream into her mouth.

They had decided to get ice cream after they ate and they soon found themselves sitting on a bench on campus.

Ellie felt silly for wanting to not let go of his hand or not be near him the whole time, but she couldn't deny the fact that she missed him.

Everything at home reminded her of Connor, and she soon realized that Eliza wasn't joking when she said it would be tough.

Connor nodded and stuffed the rest of his ice cream cone in his mouth. "Yeah," he said around it.

Ellie pinched his arm.

"Ow! What?"

"Do I have to train you all over again?" Ellie laughed, dropping her spoon into her now empty bowl.

Connor rolled his eyes. "You're worse than my dad."

Ellie arched a brow. "Wow, I didn't think I was that bad."

They both chuckled and Ellie leaned against his side. Connor's arm soon found its way around her shoulders and they watched as the sun set across campus.

"I missed this," Ellie admitted, glancing up at him.

Resting his cheek on her head, Connor let out a long breath. "Me too."

Ellie grinned snuggled into his side a little more. She missed having her big teddy bear of a boyfriend to do this with.

"Connor?" a new voice asked.

Ellie's brows rose when Connor literally flinched. He looked over his shoulder and Ellie could tell his smile was forced. "Hey Ally."

The newcomer was a tall, blond girl. Ellie was instantly reminded of a stick as the girl's thin arms crossed. Her legs seemed to go for miles and she had a little too much make up on her face.

"So, you weren't lying to me when you said you had a girlfriend," she laughed.

Ellie glanced at Connor, wondering what the heck she was talking about.

"Why would I lie?" Connor asked. Ellie could tell he was getting irritated. The corners of his mouth were starting to turn down and she could see the barely-there wrinkles starting to form on his forehead as his brow started to furrow.

Ally shrugged. "I don't know. Sorry, I'm being rude," she paused and held out a hand to Ellie, "I'm Ally, by the way. You must be Ellie."

Ellie shook her hand. "I am. And how do you know Connor?"

Ally flipped some of her blond hair over her shoulder. "We have a couple Gen Eds together. Anyway, I'm sorry I interrupted. I'll get out of you and your girlfriend's hair now Connor." She looked at Ellie again and Ellie found herself getting irritated.

Ally just gave her a legitimate stink eye.

"Pleasure meeting you, Ally," Ellie replied sweetly. She was determined to not stoop down to this girl's level.

"See ya Connor," Ally chirped, waving as she walked away.

Ellie waited until she was out of earshot before glancing at Connor. "What the heck was that all about?"

Connor sighed, resting his forearms on his knees. "People don't believe me when I tell them I have a girlfriend. It's honestly annoying. They also keep telling me that we should be breaking up soon. I almost punched Andy once because he mentioned that crap."

"Was she one of the girls who hit on you?"

Connor balked and stared at her with wide eyes. "H-How do you know about that?"

Ellie smirked. "Your Dad isn't as tight lipped as you think he is. I went over to your house to see if he had anything for me to give to you and he just 'accidentally' spilled the beans during our conversation." She held up air quotes around 'accidentally'.

Connor groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Ellie giggled and rested a hand on his back. "Connor, you know I trust you right? I think the whole situation was hilarious, in all honesty."

Connor looked up from his hands with a frown. "How is it funny? None of it was funny!"

Leaning forward, Ellie pecked his cheek, hoping it would calm him down. "It's funny because I can just see you getting flustered. And you're cute when you're flustered."

And Ellie thought he was adorable when a blush started to bloom on his cheeks.

It was almost too easy to tease him.

* * *

"Dude, I have to give Ellie her props. You look fuckin' badass right now," Desmond said, nodding in approval as they looked in their mirror.

Connor had put on the hood and all of the accessories Ellie gave him and he honestly liked the outfit. His grandmother had also packed the paint his people used during their festivals and he was painting on the symbols on ribs. He already did what his people normally did on his face and arms.

The ribs were a pain in the ass though.

"Do you dress up like this when the Rez does stuff?" Desmond asked, pulling at his Han Solo vest.

Connor shook his head. "No, usually we have full outfits. This doesn't really count because it's just the hood and the belts. He grinned in satisfaction when he finally finished the decoration on his rib.

"Dude, those would make awesome tattoos," Desmond said, poking the dry side.

Connor twisted around and looked down at his ribs in the mirror. They actually did look pretty cool. Maybe he should consider it.

"Ready?" Desmond asked, scratching his armpit.

Connor arched a brow. "Aren't you going to wear a shirt?"

Desmond rolled his eyes. "That would defeat the purpose! The Old Spice guy doesn't wear a shirt."

"You're going to freeze."

"You're one to talk."

"This is actually pretty warm," Connor argued, waving one of the front parts of the wolf hood at him.

"Fine, I'll wear a jacket Mommy."

Connor rolled his eyes and grabbed his keys. "Come on, the girls are probably waiting for us."

Ellie, Desmond, Myriam, and Connor had decided it would be best if the four of them stuck around each other the whole night, though Connor anticipated that it wouldn't last long if Andy convinced Desmond to drink a new concoction.

The party was at Warren's house. He was the senior pitcher on the team, and Connor was glad they were going to his house instead of Jack and Andy's this time around.

His windshield most likely would stay intact tonight too.

The boys hurried up to the third floor, where Myriam and Ellie were still getting ready.

"So, are you and Ellie drinking tonight or-"

"Des, that's a dumb question."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you hate alcohol."

Connor stiffened. It wasn't that he didn't like alcohol. He just didn't know how he would react to it and he didn't want to find out. His father had told him a few horror stories from his college days. And, he knew his mom used to be a little loopy when she had a little too much.

Connor knew that he would be like one of his parents, and he didn't want to know which one.

He knocked on the door and he felt his cheeks flare up when Ellie opened the door.

Her dress ended about mid-thigh and the skirt flared out from her legs. The upper part of the dress clung to her petite figure.

It was the stockings and the hood that got him.

"Holy cow! That worked out way better than I expected," she exclaimed, beaming up at him.

Connor felt like the breath was sucked from his lungs.

"Y-Yeah, I'll have to thank Ahkso for the paint," he stammered, gesturing to his face.

"Ellie, do you think he should get these as tattoos? It would be badass," Desmond asked, tapping Connor's ribs.

Connor jerked away, frowning at his friend.

Ellie tilted her hand, nodding in satisfaction. "It would look cool. Now," she grabbed Connor's hand and started to tug him in the room, "we need to take some pictures before we head out. Claudia wants to see."

"Holy shit! You look awesome!" Myriam laughed, dabbing on some facepaint. Her soldier outfit was priceless.

"Myriam, can you please take a picture of me and Connor?" Ellie asked, holding out her phone.

"Gladly."

Connor wrapped his arm around Ellie's waist and grinned at the camera. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to do too much of this.

"Okay, I'm ready to get going! No more pictures," Desmond said, taking the phone from Myriam and tossing it back to Ellie.

Soon, they all found themselves piled in Connor's Mustang.

"Dude, I wonder what Warren, Jack, and Andy are going to have there," Desmond mused aloud.

Connor quickly glanced back at him. "Hopefully they won't have what they had last time."

"The Summer Brew? That shit was strong. There is no way in hell I'm doing that again."

Myriam laughed aloud. "You should make up a new drink to get back at them. You have good taste in alcohol."

Connor and Ellie shared an amused look. Desmond did apparently have good taste. And he actually didn't get shitfaced every time he managed to drag Connor out on the weekends.

"I'll think on it. I'll have to test it out on Connor."

"Nope," Connor growled, glaring at Desmond in his mirror.

"So," Ellie said, breaking up the conversation, "what type of party is this going to be? Is this going to be like what Revere used to throw or…"

Desmond barked out a laugh. "Shit, Revere threw the worst parties. The Seniors are usually pretty chill."

Myriam arched a brow. "Well, I don't know who Revere is, but I usually go to my brother's parties because they're not all there to get completely shitfaced and grind on each other all night."

Connor winced. Desmond had managed to drag him to a party like that their first weekend at college. He vowed to never go back to one.

"So it's mostly a social thing?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry Ellie, no bumping and grinding at this place," Myriam said reassuringly.

"And don't worry, I don't think there will be anyone spiking your drink with Wolf Man here," Desmond joked, thumping Connor on the shoulder.

Connor frowned. "Very funny, Des."

"It's true!"

Ellie chuckled and Connor instantly relaxed.

He was determined to make sure Ellie had fun tonight.

It was on his list of boyfriend duties, after all.

* * *

As Myriam and Desmond said, Warren's house wasn't packed and it seemed like only the baseball team and their friends were there. Connor parked almost a block away, ensuring that no stray baseballs would find his windshield this time.

"So, are there going to be other- what did your dad call them- chits, here?" Ellie teased, poking her boyfriend's arm.

Connor frowned and Ellie couldn't hold back a chuckle.

She reached out and twined her fingers with his and his frown instantly disappeared.

Ellie was suddenly grateful for the makeup she had decided to put on her cheeks. It hid her blush pretty well. She expected Connor to wear the hide shirt his grandmother packed for him, but he just went shirtless. She could testify that the baseball team's workouts were working for them…big time.

Connor's arms and torso looked even stronger since the last time she saw him, and the wolf hood and paint gave him an intimidating and- dare she say it- sexy look.

She couldn't wait for all of the girls that Mr. Kenway mentioned see her with him.

Connor opened the door and let Desmond and Myriam step in before Ellie.

Ellie instantly felt out of place as she looked around the room. She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and reached for Connor's hand.

"Des! Connor!"

A tall, dark haired guy was weaving his way through the crowded room toward Connor and Desmond. His Frankenstein's Monster make-up covered his features and his bolts actually looked like they were glowing.

"Hey Jack, didn't expect you to be here," Desmond laughed, bumping fists with him.

Ellie suddenly recognized him. Myriam had shown her pictures of her brother and Connor had mentioned Jack many times when she talked to him.

Jack's eyes caught hers and he blinked a few times. "Holy shit, are you the girlfriend?"

Ellie put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, what about it?" She was honestly getting sick of hearing that.

Jack's brows went up to his hairline as he looked at Connor again. "I like her."

Connor shook his head with the breathy laugh Ellie loved.

Jack laughed and held out his hand. "I'm Jack."

"Ellie," Ellie replied, shaking his hand.

Jack looked at Connor again. "And you! Holy shit that outfit is awesome."

Connor's fingers squeezed Ellie's as he said, "It was her idea."

With a nod, Jack held up his beer can. "Well done! That has to be the most badass costume I've seen," he paused and glanced at Desmond, "And what the hell are you supposed to be?"

Desmond smiled and pulled a stick of Old Spice out of his back pocket. "Guess, asshole."

Jack laughed and pulled an unopened beer can out of his oversized jacket pocket. He tossed it to Desmond. "Dude, you know I'm going to ask you to quote the commercials all night now right?"

"Don't even think about it. He only did it the whole car ride here," Myriam grumbled, stomping toward the kitchen.

Jack rolled his eyes and looked at Ellie and Connor again. "Well, I hope you guys have fun," he paused and pointed at Connor, "And stay out of trouble Kenway."

"Very funny, Jack," Connor retorted.

Jack wiggled his eyebrows and walked away, chugging down the rest of his beer. Desmond saluted to Connor and quickly followed behind, chugging down his own beer.

Ellie finally looked up at Connor. "So that's Jack?" she chuckled, tilting her head.

Rubbing the back of his head, Connor grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, he's usually a cool guy."

Looking around the crowded room, Ellie shrugged. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Connor smiled and started to lead her toward the back of the house. "What we should have done at the last party we went to."

Ellie laughed. "Make girls believe you are taken?" She remembered how Connor asked her to go to Revere's party to make people believe they were dating.

Connor halted in his tracks and looked at her over his shoulder with an amused grin. "If you want."

Ellie giggled and gave him a little push. She blushed when she touched the bare skin of his back. She wondered why she was acting this way now of all times. She had seen him shirtless before, and she knew how good looking he was.

_Maybe it's the outfit_, she mused to herself as Connor led her to the back porch.

Even though it was a little chilly out, Ellie's cape kept her perfectly warm and she didn't mind the cold for once.

Only a few other people were mingling on the porch and Connor led her to the far edge.

He rested his elbow on the railing and looked down at her. "Sorry if this wasn't what you thought it was going to be," he said quietly.

Ellie rolled her eyes and poked him in the stomach. "It's okay. I didn't come down to just party this weekend, you know," she said, leaning back against the railing.

Connor grinned and Ellie found her heart starting to flutter in her chest. "I know," he paused and his cheeks suddenly turned into an adorable shade of pink. "You look great, by the way," he mumbled, twiddling his thumbs.

Ellie blinked in surprise, feeling her heart start to flop around instead of flutter now. "So do you," she replied, tilting her head.

His cheeks darkened even more and Ellie thought it was adorable.

Here he was; a huge, 6 foot something guy that looked almost feral in this outfit, and he was flustered and blushing.

Deciding to be bold, she stepped closer and craned her neck to look up at him. "You're really adorable when you blush you know," she said huskily.

Connor's big, brown eyes widened as he spluttered, looking away.

Ellie giggled and leaned against him a little. "So, can I ask why you were so freaked out about the whole 'chit' thing?"

Connor groaned and scratched his head. "I don't know. I didn't want you to find out and think that I was being a dick or something and I flipped. So, that's when my dad came in."

With a laugh, Ellie tugged on his braid under the hood. "You dork, you know I wouldn't assume that right away."

Connor breathed out a long sigh. "Yeah, I know."

It finally started to get cold and Connor led her back inside. Thankfully, there wasn't as many people in the living room.

"Can I ask you something?" Ellie asked as they plopped down onto a couch.

"Sure."

She tilted her head and shrugged. "Why don't you drink? I'm just curious."

"My Dad told me enough stories, and I know how my mom got," he explained, looking uncomfortable.

Ellie arched a brow at the mention of Mr. Kenway. "You mean the cool, calm and collected lawyer can't hold his alcohol?"

Connor snickered. "He told me he broke stuff when he was drunk, so I assume that meant it just doesn't go well."

"You don't have to get wasted if you do drink, you know."

"I know. I just don't want to deal with the crap that comes with it."

Ellie grinned at him. "And that is perfectly okay."

Connor grinned back. "Thanks, people usually don't get it."

Ellie poked his side. "I'm your girlfriend. Of course I would get it."

He rolled his eyes, but the grin was still there.

"Connor! Ellie! You have to try this shit!" Myriam laughed, running into the room. She was holding a red solo cup and beaming.

"What is it?" Ellie asked, eyeing the cup suspiciously.

"My first invention!" Desmond cheered, strutting in with his own cup.

"Yeah, that's great. But what is _in_ it?" Connor asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It has rum in it. It's like a Fruit Punch only instead of syrups and shit I used pineapple juice," Desmond explained, grinning wolfishly.

"Desmond," Connor warned, frowning.

"Dude, you won't get trashed from just one drink. I just want you to try it," Desmond argued with a scowl.

Before Ellie could stand up for him, Connor plucked the cup from Desmond and took a swig. Everyone fell silent and stared at Connor as they watched his face scrunch up. "How do you like this stuff?"

Ellie shook her head in amusement.

Connor shook his head, as if he was trying to shake the taste out of his mouth, handing the cup back to Desmond.

"You're just not used to alcohol. It's actually pretty good," Desmond joked, taking a swig himself.

Ellie bit her lip, wondering if she should join in. She felt out of place and she wanted to fit in with all of these college kids _somehow_. Even though she was with Connor, she still didn't know anyone and she noticed some people staring. She felt like a little kid at the big kids table and she didn't like it.

"Myriam, can I try?" Ellie asked, looking up at her new friend. She had champagne before at a couple weddings. And Claudia had managed to get her to try wine when she had dinner at the Auditore's house. They had wine with their meals like true Italians would and the Johnstons had approved. Why should this be any different?

Connor stared at her in surprise as Myriam handed her the cup.

Ellie peered into the cup, studying the ominous yellow drink as she took a deep breath. She finally tipped the cup back and took a sip.

The rum left a slightly burning and bitter taste in her mouth, but the spices in the rum and the juice helped with the bitter part. The aftertaste was actually sweet.

Compared to the wine she had before, it wasn't half bad.

"I kind of like it," she said, trying to avoid Connor's curious stare as she handed the cup back to Myriam.

"What do you know about alcohol?" Desmond teased.

Ellie huffed with an amused grin. "I had wine and champagne before. They didn't have fruit juice in it."

Desmond cringed. "Wine?! That shit's awful."

"Tell me about it."

"Where did you have those things?" Connor asked, arching a brow. Thankfully, he didn't look disapproving.

Ellie shrugged. "I had the champagne at Peter's nephews' weddings. The wine was with the Auditores. They are Italian, you know."

Connor blinked in surprise. "They let you drink?"

Ellie chuckled and patted his knee. "They always have wine with their meals. And they let their kids drink when they're sixteen. I was over there so much that I was basically part of the family and they didn't think it was a big deal."

Connor stared at her for a moment before a determined look suddenly fell on his face. "Desmond, I want one."

Desmond balked and stared at him in surprise. "Are you shitting me?"

"No. Get one."

Desmond whooped and raced back to the kitchen.

Ellie stared at her boyfriend in surprise. "Why did you change your mind?"

Puffing out his cheeks, he looked at her. "One won't hurt. We can share if you want."

Before Ellie could reply, Myriam suddenly sat down beside her. "Holy shit, hide me."

"Why?" Ellie asked with a bewildered look.

"Norris is here," Myriam hissed, twisting so that she was facing away from the door.

Connor started to snicker and Ellie was really confused now. "Who's Norris?"

"He's this guy in my English class, shhhhh!"

Ellie jumped when Connor leaned close to her ear. "You'll see."

Desmond soon returned with another solo cup. "Norris is here huh? Myriam, grow those balls of steel your brother says you have and ask him out already. It's like watching Connor and Ellie all over again."

Myriam whipped around and glowered at him. "I don't have balls, thank you very much, and no! Why would he like me?"

Desmond held up his hands. "Okay okay! Just trying to help."

"Actually, Desmond, come with me. I need another drink," she demanded, standing up and dragging him toward the kitchen.

Ellie and Connor were left with the now growing crowd in the living room with the music blaring.

With a bewildered look, Ellie studied the cup in Connor's hand. "You didn't have to get a drink, you know."

Connor fidgeted and he glanced at her. "I knew you were a little uncomfortable. And I don't want you to worry about what drink to have."

A warm, fluttery feeling started to bloom in Ellie's chest. She thought she was hiding the fact that she felt out of place pretty well. But he noticed.

"Thank you," she said quietly, pecking him on the cheek. She pulled away and tilted her head. "Though, let's not solve it with alcohol next time," she said with a chuckle.

Connor shrugged and took a swig, scrunching his face again. "Seriously, why do people like alcohol?" he asked, frowning down at the cup.

"Beats me. Ezio and Federico always said it was an acquired taste," Ellie suggested, standing up.

Connor looked up at her in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Ellie put her hands on her hips. "Well, let's solve the awkward problem together with less rum. Introduce me to all of these teammates I hear about."

With a grin, Connor stood as well. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Connor was never one to like mornings, but this one took the cake.

His brain felt like mush and his body felt like it was ran over by a train.

"Hey, do you want some water?" a gentle voice asked.

Connor suddenly realized it was Ellie's voice and he bolted upright right away. His stomach and whole head instantly regretted it. He flopped back down; wondering why opening his eyes hurt so much.

The smooth plastic of a water bottle was put in his hand and Connor downed half of it. Two pills were also put in his hand and he immediately popped them in before downing the other half.

"What happened?" he managed to slur out.

The sound of the blinds closing and the light being flicked off caused him to curiously open his eyes. Ellie sat down beside him on his bed, brows pinched in worry. "Desmond says Andy spiked our drink with strong vodka last night as a joke. You downed the rest of it, remember?"

In all honesty, Connor didn't. He remembered introducing Ellie to everyone finally and then the rest was blank.

"Seriously? I'm killing Andy," Connor growled, trying to hide his eyes from the sunlight that was managing to peek through the blinds.

Ellie winced. "Actually, the guys on the baseball team got really mad. I was just glad we got you back here safely."

Connor sat up, slowly this time, letting out a long sigh. "Did I do anything…dumb?"

Ellie's sympathetic look slowly turned into a knowing grin. "Well, I can say that you aren't like your dad exactly."

"What?!"

"They were calling you the Human Squirrel, if that gives you a hint."

Suddenly, some of it came back to him. He remembered being on top of he really tall tree on the block.

"You just really wanted to prove that you weren't scared of heights for some reason," Ellie explained, hiding her giggles behind a hand.

Connor ducked his head in shame. "I'm never drinking again." Guilt suddenly crashed in and overpowered the shame. Ellie and his friends probably had to drag him everywhere, not to mention take care of him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. His head was swimming and Connor accepted every negative thing he was feeling with open arms. He deserved to feel like a train wreck.

He also suddenly felt nauseous.

"Hey," Ellie said gently, cupping his cheek and forcing him to look at her, "it wasn't your fault. We know that you wouldn't have drunk that stuff willingly. You honestly were easy to get back here. You could still walk okay so we just had to make sure you got into bed."

Well, there were some positives to this big, fat negative.

"Desmond went to get us breakfast," Ellie explained, gesturing to the door.

Connor suddenly noticed that she was still in her Red Riding Hood outfit. "Did you stay here all night?" he asked, feeling even more ashamed.

Ellie shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. And Desmond lent me his bed. He went back out to get your car and stuff and stayed at Warren's."

Connor reached for her hand and twined his fingers with hers. "Nia:wen," he said softly, trying to think of ways to make it up to her. He didn't know if she liked flowers and stuff. He wondered if he could talk her into letting him taking her out to an expensive place sometime.

A warm fluttery feeling took place of the churning in his gut when she smiled at him. "You're welcome, now get some rest."

Connor flopped back down. "What time is it?"

"Around ten. Desmond said that you shouldn't have woken up til around 2 though," she said, looking impressed.

Connor hummed in thought before sighing. "Human Squirrel huh?"

Ellie's giggle was the last thing he heard before he fell asleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

The fall leaves swirled everywhere, carried along by the bitter November wind. Ellie huffed, managing to pull the collar of her jacked up as she walked to Connor's house. Clutching tightly to her grocery bag, she started to half walk-half jog up to the front porch.

Stupid cold.

Despite the fact that it was freezing and miserable outside, Ellie was in high spirits. Connor finally came home for Thanksgiving break today, and that meant she was going to get him for the whole weekend. She made it to the porch and knocked, cursing the cold. Luckily, her boyfriend was quick.

"Hey," she said breathlessly, ducking inside.

"Hey," he said quietly, shutting the door behind her.

Halting in the entryway, Ellie looked up at him as she perched the bag on her hip. "Well?"

Connor rolled his eyes, but Ellie could see the blush starting to dust his cheeks. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

After the Human Squirrel incident, Connor had begged Ellie to let him repay for all the trouble. Deciding to finally get him out of his comfort zone a little, Ellie just asked that he greeted her with a kiss somehow.

So far, it's been working like a charm.

A flustered Connor was a cute Connor.

He helped her shrug out of her jacket and she hung up her scarf and beanie on the hook. She patted his chest before moving toward the kitchen. "I think you'll like what I'm going to bake today."

Connor snorted. "When do you bake something I don't like?"

Ellie chuckled. "Touché."

Connor helped her set out all of her ingredients and she immediately got to work.

"So what are you making?" he asked, taking a seat on the counter.

"You'll see."

"Not even a hint?

Ellie smugly shook her head as she poured her dry ingredients in a bowl. She had been dying to try this recipe and she figured Connor would be the perfect one to experiment with.

He inhaled anything she made.

As she measured out her ingredients, a comfortable silence filled the kitchen.

"Is your dad home?" Ellie asked, putting the butter, vanilla, and eggs in the bowl.

"No, he's at work right now. He might be late too," he replied, kicking his legs a little.

Ellie tilted her head and studied him for a moment. He looked absolutely adorable sitting like that.

"What?" he asked, grinning.

"You're too cute sometimes."

A scowl instantly greeted his features. "I'm not cute."

"Sure you are."

"Iah."

"Yup."

"Why are you saying that now anyway?" he huffed, crossing his arms.

_Oh no,_ Ellie thought with a giggle. He looked even cuter pouting. "For reasons."

She went back to baking as he spluttered more. Baking didn't stop her from peeking over at him as they talked, though. As he was preoccupied with answering one of her questions, Ellie studied him again.

He was wearing a nice, long sleeve shirt that clung to him more than any shirt she had ever seen on him. It wasn't like his usual style either. She liked it…immensely.

"Where'd you get that shirt?" she asked.

Connor plucked at the collar of the shirt, frowning a little. "My dad forced me to wear it. It's actually really comfortable."

Ellie arched a brow, thanking God that Mr. Kenway had taste. "I like it. You should wear those more."

Connor arched his own brow and hopped down from the counter while she stirred her batter. He crossed his arms and rested his hip against the counter island where she worked. Ellie was suddenly hyper aware of how close he was standing.

"Since when do you comment on my clothes?" he chuckled, peering into the bowl.

Biting her lip, Ellie had to crane her neck to look up at him. She made sure to slowly move her gaze from his face, down his broad torso, and his strong legs. "Since now," she said quietly, smirking.

His blush was worth it.

Ellie focused on her batter again, wondering why she was being so bold all of a sudden. She never truly thought about Connor in…_**that**_ light much. But, ever since Halloween, Ellie had been thinking about a whole different aspect of her and Connor's relationship.

She would have been lying if she said she didn't think about it before Halloween either.

Ellie peeked at her boyfriend, giggling when she saw the deep blush on his face as he turned and leaned back against the counter. She knew he hated being teased, but he made it too easy sometimes.

Her eyes focused on his pouting lips, suddenly wanting to kiss him. She wondered what it would feel like if he kissed her in other places…

She mentally slapped herself and focused on her brownie batter again. _Get it together! You know that both of you aren't ready for that stuff!_

Honestly, she didn't mind that they didn't do that stuff. She was happy where they were in their relationship and she loved that Connor was respectful and shy. It was a big part of why she liked him so much in the first place.

Her mind had other ideas, though.

Why didn't he kiss her neck and stuff when they kissed sometimes? Why didn't they do the things that teenagers supposedly did when they were dating? Did he think she didn't want him to? Did he just not have a clue?

Biting her lip, Ellie was suddenly determined to find out and she started to devise a plan.

She started to wonder if she would regret it or not.

* * *

As Connor flipped through the DVDs, he kept wondering if he did something wrong.

Ellie had gotten strangely quiet while she was baking. She looked deep in thought as she had finished the brownies- which he found out were Espresso Chocolate Chunk- and he knew that it was his fault somehow.

"Hey Connor?"

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at her over his shoulder.

She bit her lip and Connor was shocked to see her twiddling her thumbs. Ellie NEVER did that. "Can you take me to the gas station really quick? I forgot to grab ice cream for those brownies."

The very thought of having ice cream with those brownies chased away his shock and had him quickly making his way toward the door.

By themselves, the brownies were heavenly, but the ice cream would make them even better.

He helped her into her coat and they were on their way in no time.

"You really want that ice cream, don't you?" Ellie laughed, buckling up.

Connor nodded and drove as fast as he could.

They got their ice cream and Connor snagged a bag of chips before they made their way to his car again.

When they were about halfway back to his house, Ellie suddenly said, "Can you pull into this park really quick?"

Glancing at her in confusion, Connor followed directions. He slowly pulled into a parking spot, looking over at her in worry. Okay, her being quiet before was weird, but now he had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Was she mad at him?

Again, to his surprise, she looked nervous. She kept biting her lip and peeked over at him occasionally. She was beginning to cling to the sleeves of her jacket.

"Ellie, are you okay?" he asked, brows pinching in concern.

"Yeah," she replied quickly…and loudly.

Connor arched a brow. Okay, she seemed more nervous than upset. What would she be nervous about though? Ellie was one of the most self-assured people he knew and it was weird seeing her like this.

"Connor? How do you feel about us?" she asked, meeting his eyes with her own.

Connor forced himself to focus on the question, almost falling into her intense gaze. "I'm-well-I mean-I'm happy," he stammered out.

_Smooth, Kenway, really smooth,_ he growled at himself. He never was good at talking about this stuff.

For some reason though, she looked momentarily amused at his answer. "So you don't think anything is off or needs to change?" she inquired, cocking her head.

"What do you mean?" he asked, unbuckling so he could face her more.

She bit her lip again and Connor had to tear his gaze away from her mouth, feeling an unexpected wave of heat rush through him with the action.

"W-well," she paused and that gave Connor time to register what happened. Not only was she nervous, she was stuttering.

What could possibly be on her mind?

"You know what 1st, 2nd and 3rd base means in relationships right?" she asked, giving him a shy grin.

Connor felt his neck heat up and he knew he was blushing now. He was just glad their only source of light was the streetlamp nearby so she couldn't see.

"Yeah," he slowly replied. Why was she asking him this?

She unbuckled herself and turned to face him more too. "Well, would you say that we've only gone to…1st base?"

Connor's brows shot to his hairline. Was she implying what he thought she was implying? _Oh no, oh no, oh no,_ he panicked to himself. "Y-yeah."

Ellie began to lean closer and she plucked at the sleeve of Connor's shirt. "What would you say if I said I wanted to steal a base?"

Forget blushing, Connor felt like his whole body was on fire.

Okay, Connor would have been lying if he said that he didn't think about 'going to 2nd' with Ellie. He just tried not to think about it because he felt like he was disrespecting her somehow when he did.

His mom always taught him to be respectful toward girls and she always preached about how to be respectful in a relationship. He was determined to follow her advice even now.

"W-why?" he managed to choke out. He had to be _**absolutely**_ sure she wanted this.

Ellie arched a brow and her normal confidence started to come back. Connor almost balked when she pointed to his seat. "Lean back."

He never pulled the lever faster in his life.

The fire in his body spread when she shocked him for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. She crawled right over the console and straddled his legs on the seat. She leaned forward, keeping her face inches from his. Connor found himself falling into her eyes again.

"Why not? I want to be intimate with you," she sat up straight again, tentatively putting her hands on his chest. "Don't you?"

Connor started to see distress cross her features and he quickly sat up to peck her on the lips. He didn't know why, but her answer kicked all of the uncertainty out of his mind.

"Are you sure?" he asked, placing his hands over hers on his chest.

Ellie nuzzled her nose with his. "Yes," she whispered, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Steeling himself, Connor quickly asked the heavens for strength as he caught Ellie's lips with his.

He was determined to make this good for her.

* * *

Ellie was shocked at Connor's response. He had asked why, which confused her. She never really got to think about it because Connor's hand was slowly cupping the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss.

Sure, they shared kisses like this before, but a tingling sensation started to thrum through Ellie's body when she finally processed that this was going to be different.

Deciding to take the initiative, she pressed down on his chest, causing him to lie back in the seat and she slowly rested her weight on him. She lazily wrapped her arms around his neck and hummed softly into the kiss, hoping he would take that as a good sign.

His strong arm wrapped around her waist, holding her petite frame closer to his.

The hand that was on the back of her neck started to trail down her back and Ellie shivered when his fingers started to draw patterns along her spine.

A jolt of electricity went down her spine when he moved his hands to her jean-clad thighs that were still straddling his hips.

His hands seemed tentative, as if he didn't know what to do.

Ellie slowly pulled away, sitting up again. "You okay?" she asked, breathlessly, running her fingers through the loose part of his hair.

"Y-yeah," he stammered, sitting up a little. He paused and let out a soft sigh, reaching up and gently running his fingers through her hair. "I just don't know what you want me to do," he whispered, looking ashamed.

Ellie grinned and pecked his nose. "If it makes you feel better, I don't know what the heck to do either," she admitted shyly, resting her hands on his chest again.

"That does, actually," he chuckled softly, letting his head fall back against the seat again.

Ellie ran her hands up and down his chest as she thought. Okay, so they were both jumping into the deep end. That made things a million times better. "Connor, I trust you. Just do what you feel is right," she reassured quietly, deciding to just see what would happen now.

His eyes momentarily widened and he grinned up at her before whispering, "Okay."

Connor's hands slowly rested themselves on her thighs again and Ellie leaned forward and pressed a deep kiss to his lips. He wasn't as tense now and their kisses were slowly growing in intensity.

Ellie almost squeaked when his hands made a slow trail up her thighs, over her hips and stopped on her upper waist, making lazy circles.

The tingling sensation from before was intensifying and she almost forgot to breathe. Luckily, Connor chose that moment to leave a trail of kisses along her jaw and he hesitated before pressing a kiss to her neck.

Ellie bit her lip and slowly moved her hands up to his hair.

So, this is what being kissed on the neck felt like?

She let out a small gasp when he moved lower to where her neck met her shoulder and pressed a kiss there, sucking a little before moving up and kissing her lips again.

Her eyes widened when she felt his thumbs barely brush the side of her breasts as he ran his hands further up her sides.

What shocked her was that she wanted him to take the next step.

She sat up and moved her hands to his wrists, getting ready to move them and-

BEEEEEEEEEP!

They both jumped and Ellie ducked and wrapped her arms around his neck before she realized what happened.

Ellie arched a brow at the steering wheel behind her.

Her eyes met his amused brown ones and they both burst out laughing. Ellie buried her face in his neck from embarrassment, enjoying the sound of his soft, breathy laugh in her ear, as she tried to stop laughing herself.

"Talk about mood killers," she joked, slowly sitting up.

"Tell me about it," Connor chuckled, sitting up with her.

Their gazes met again and Ellie twirled a few locks of his hair between her fingers. "I really liked it," she said bashfully.

Connor pressed a soft, sweet kiss to her lips. "Me too."

Reluctantly, they got situated again and Connor pulled out of the parking lot, heading back home.

Ellie's heart fluttered as he held her hand the rest of the night.

* * *

Haytham sighed as he tossed the mail on the kitchen counter. It was late and the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, just because his son was home didn't mean that he got the weekend off as well. He draped his suit jacket over the back of a chair before grabbing a bottle of beer out of the fridge, setting it on the counter.

He stiffened as he started to unbutton the cuffs of his shirt. It was almost midnight, why in the bloody hell was the TV on?

His heart almost stopped when he heard Ziio's voice.

"Haytham!" she laughed.

Haytham slowly made his way toward the living room and he halted at the entryway.

Connor and Ellie were passed out on the couch; the faint light of the TV flickered on their sleeping faces. Connor's head was against the back of the couch and his arm was around Ellie's shoulders. He would let out the occasional snore. Ellie, meanwhile, was curled up into a ball by his side.

Haytham tip toed in and stared at the TV screen.

He instantly knew which video they were watching.

Charles or someone else must have been holding the camera at the docks because he could see a younger version of himself tossing a younger Ziio into the lake. She came up spluttering and Haytham knew exactly what she was going to do next.

She grabbed his younger self's ankle and pulled him in.

The corners of Haytham's mouth slowly started to lift and his heart felt light as he watched the video for once.

He glanced over at the young couple, wondering what Ziio would have thought about Connor and Ellie.

His heart instantly sunk at the thought.

What he would give to have Ziio experience this part of their son's life.

Unfortunately, the world wasn't perfect.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Holy pooper this took a while. Sorry guys, I've been on 12 hour days working and my job is outside so it literally drains me. I promise that I'll get the chapters for my stories out as fast as I can. It's hard when you get home late and leave for work early, ya know?**

* * *

The rest of the semester seemed to fly by after Thanksgiving. Before either of the boys knew it, they were getting ready for finals. Connor's day usually consisted of studying, emergency snack runs, and forcing Desmond to actually study.

On one particular night, Connor was practically banging his head against his Biology book and wondering why he did this to himself when Desmond spoke up. "Dude, will you hear me out for a sec?"

Connor gladly tossed his book to the side and swiveled around in his chair, facing his roommate. "Yeah, what is it?"

Desmond's cheeks puffed out as he let out a long sigh. He tossed his own book to the side and swung his legs over the side of his bed. "What would you say if I wanted to talk to Lucy again?"

Arching a brow, Connor let out a sigh himself and stretched. "Why do you want to talk to her all of a sudden? Last I checked, you didn't know if you could forgive her or not."

Desmond waved the comment off with a scowl. "Well-It's just-I-Dude, I just want to talk to her and tie up some loose ends. Would that be bad?"

"If it will make you feel better and bring some things that have been bugging you out in the open, go ahead.

"Wait," Desmond said, giving Connor a suspicious stare, "how do you know stuff has been bugging me?"

"Desmond, in all honesty, you've been off all semester. I mean, I know I have been too because of the stuff that happened. But, you don't even act the same during baseball. I can tell."

Desmond hung his head with another sigh. "I just…it just sucks. I just want to know what she thought about everything. They shipped her off to Albany to her family right after the police and FBI cleared everything up and I never got a chance to talk to her since…"

He trailed off and Connor knew what moment his friend was thinking of. The night everything came to a climactic close.

"I don't see the harm in trying to talk to her…unless you're planning to blame her for everything," Connor answered, narrowing his eyes a little. His father told him that Lucy basically went through hell. He wouldn't be shocked if Desmond's father and Altair told Desmond the same.

"I don't want to blame her for anything. I know all that shit wasn't her fault. I wanted to just talk to her," Desmond defended, suddenly looking gloomy.

"Then do it. The sooner you get everything out, the better. Believe me, you don't want to think about it more than you have to."

Desmond stared at him for a moment and Connor started to fidget. Contrary to what a lot of people believed, Desmond wasn't clueless. He actually could read people like a book when he tried.

"You're talking about your mom, aren't you?"

Yup, there it was. Connor sighed and rested his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands together. "Yeah. I am. The less I talked about it, the worse I felt."

The two boys stared at each other for a moment, facing their inner demons for a moment before Desmond broke the silence. "Wanna make an emergency shake trip to Sonic?"

"Hell yes."

* * *

Lucy shivered as the bitter winter breeze cut through her thick coat, climbing out of her car. A small grin reached her lips as she looked at her new car. If someone told her that she would have a car of her own a year ago, she would have called them insane.

But, here she was with her Ford Escape and wondering what her mom was going to make for dessert tonight after dinner.

The past months had seemed like a dream. Being back at home, seeing her family, not worrying about whether she would live the next day, and…not worrying about 'earning her keep' seemed so unreal. While Vidic never truly sexually trafficked her, he had other uses for her. She shuddered when she remembered being his own little messenger girl. Deciding to not think about it, she turned her attention back to why she was out in the cold in the first place.

She was terrified yet ecstatic when Desmond called her -actually called her- and asked her to meet him.

Lucy knew he had every reason to be angry with her. She knew that this conversation could turn ugly really fast and she wouldn't blame him for a second.

Her heart dropped at the thought. Despite whatever Desmond may believe, she really did care about him. It was because of him that she mustered up the courage to speak out about Vidic's plans in the first place.

He helped her make the choice she couldn't make for years.

It was because of him that she was back with her family and finally getting her life straightened out.

No matter what he said, she was determined to thank him for that, at least.

She saw the little coffee shop that he gave her directions to right off campus and she took a deep breath before walking in. Fortunately, she seemed to be the only one there and her heart started to race when she saw Desmond sitting at a small table back in the corner.

He looked stronger than the last time she saw him…he almost seemed to have aged a couple years on top of that.

She quickly ordered a Mocha and waited a couple moments before taking a deep breath.

Deciding to just get it over with, Lucy slowly started to walk over to him. She feared the worst as she stopped next to the table and their gazes met. The last thing she wanted was him to hate her.

She didn't know if she could exactly live her new life knowing the boy she cared about hated her.

"Hey," he said softly, giving her a weak smile.

"Hey," she managed to rasp out, wondering why her throat suddenly went dry.

She took the seat across from him and stared at the top of the table. They sat in an uncomfortable silence even after her coffee got there.

"Luce?"

Lucy snapped her head up and was surprised to see a sad look on Desmond's face. "Y-yeah?"

He sighed and rested his elbows on the table, clasping his hands. "I'm just going to cut to the chase and get it out so this won't be awkward anymore. I just want to say that I'm not mad at you; I thought I was at first, but then I realized," he paused and his cheeks puffed out as he let out a long sigh, "I realized I was just confused and hurt about the whole damn situation."

Lucy nodded and her heart started to not feel as heavy anymore. Well, he wasn't mad at her; that was a start.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…I don't blame you for anything, but I just want some questions answered," he explained, scratching his nose, giving her an expectant look.

"Okay," she said, giving him a weak smile.

Desmond rubbed his forehead before downing the rest of his coffee. "Okay, first things first. Was everything between us just…nothing? Was it all an act?"

Lucy felt her heart break when she saw the hurt and confusion in his eyes. "Desmond," she managed to choke out, gulping down tears. "Desmond, believe me when I say that I actually care for you. If it wasn't for you, I never would have mustered up the courage to try to warn Mr. Kenway," she paused and blinked rapidly as she tried to think of what to say next. "Being with you made me realize what those bastards took away from me, and all I ever wanted to was to be free of them and make sure they didn't do it to anyone else."

Tentatively, she slowly reached across the table and gently rested her fingers on the back of Desmond's hand. "I'm sorry for what happened. And I'm sorry it happened the way it did…and I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for what you did for me."

Desmond blinked in shock for a few moments before clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Wow. Shit Lucy, you basically answered everything concerning that." He actually looked sheepish when he continued. "I'm glad to hear that you didn't just use me..."

Lucy bashfully looked down at her coffee and pulled her hand away. "Trust me, I didn't want to use you or anyone else for that matter." She paused and grinned shyly before meeting his eyes again. "What else were you going to ask me?"

Desmond sighed and shrugged. "I dunno. I just wanted to know what you thought about that situation. It was pretty shitty for everyone involved."

Lucy took a sip of her coffee and forced herself to meet his gaze. "It was almost all a blur for me. The only times I wasn't terrified was when I was with you or the others."

He nodded and scratched his head. "I…I also wanted to say I was sorry, Lucy. I said some shitty things that you didn't deserve in the hotel room where they were keeping us and I-"

"I forgave you a long time ago. We all were scared."

The familiar grin started to come to his lips and Lucy wasn't shocked when he said, "Well, except for Mr. Kenway. That man has balls of titanium or some shit like that."

Lucy couldn't hold back her giggle.

* * *

"So I take that it went well?" Ellie asked, handing Connor a mug of her homemade hot chocolate.

Desmond nodded and took the other mug from her hands from his spot on the couch. "Yeah, she's doing way better. I've never seen her so relaxed. She's seeing a therapist and stuff, but she's happy to be with her family."

Ellie plopped down between the two boys. "That's good to hear. We'll have to invite her over sometime or visit her."

Desmond rubbed the back of his neck. "It might be a while before that can happen. She said her doctor didn't like that we talked because it might remind her of the trauma."

Humming in thought, Ellie tapped her chin. "Well, we can send her cards and stuff, right? Despite what happened, you said she saw us as friends still. I want her to know we still think about her and stuff."

Connor draped an arm on her shoulders, lightly rubbing her shoulder. "That's a good idea. You should ask Claudia if she wants to join in."

Ellie's eyes widened and she looked up at him. "Speaking of her, she'll be back home tomorrow!"

"I think we all should sneak some wine from the Auditores' stash and celebrate," Desmond suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at Connor. "What do you think of that, Human Squirrel?"

"Definitely not. Let's just go to The Den," Connor growled, scowling at Desmond.

Ellie coughed to cover up a giggle. "I think we should go to The Den too. It'll be just like the good days." She gave Desmond a look. "And we'll hang out WITHOUT alcohol."

Desmond rolled his eyes. "Jesus, get your boyfriend drunk once and you're suddenly against it."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "I'll text Claudia about meeting up at The Den sometime."

Desmond glanced up at the clock and winced. "Oh shit, I gotta head home. I'm supposed to go pick up my mom from the airport in the morning." Desmond quickly set his mug down and hurried toward the entryway.

"See you losers later!"

The door shut and Ellie frowned at the mug Desmond left behind. "Of course he doesn't put his cup in the sink," she grumbled, getting up and taking the empty mugs into the kitchen.

She began to wash the mugs and squeaked when a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Connor set his mug in the sink and wrapped his other arm around her waist. "Yes?" she asked, leaning back into his tall frame.

"Desmond's gone."

"Yeah?"

"And Dad's not home."

Ellie tensed and a wave of heat suddenly rushed through her when she realized what he was implying. Turning her head, she gave him a coy smile. "Let me finish these first."

She suddenly felt Connor's warm lips on her neck, causing her to drop the mugs in the sink. "I'm done."

Ellie didn't feel an ounce of shame when she turned and practically pounced on him. He easily picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to God knows where as their lips met time and time again. Soon, she found herself on his bed and she didn't really get a chance to look around before Connor covered her lips with his own.

Her hands instantly cupped his cheeks as he deepened the kiss. Ellie opened her mouth and her eyes widened in shock when he lightly bit down on her bottom lip. Her heart started to race when she considered doing something she only ever heard about. She tentatively traced his bottom lip with her tongue and a shiver ran through her when he groaned.

She didn't know how a French kiss should go, but what they were doing felt pretty damn good to her.

Ellie wrapped her arms around him and clung to his shoulders like a lifeline as he settled more of his weight on her.

His warm lips pressed kisses down her jaw and slowly moved to the sensitive spot behind her ear, causing her to let out a whimper.

Ellie was secretly mortified. She never imagined noises like that coming out of her mouth.

Connor's lips moved down her neck as he pressed open mouthed kisses wherever he could on her skin.

Ellie bit her lip to keep from letting more embarrassing noises out as his lips slowly moved toward her collarbone.

Connor looked up at her and Ellie could feel herself melting inside.

She felt like she was going to internally combust when his hands finally decided to start roaming up her waist and toward her chest. Ellie started to let her hands roam over his strong back.

He surprised her when he slowly sat up and started to pull his shirt over his head, looking bashful as he did.

Ellie's heart thudded in her chest when he tossed his shirt aside. Wait, how far were they going to go with this? Before he could kiss her again, she gently pressed her hands to his chest, gulping down the lump of nervousness in her throat. "C-Connor?"

Connor's eyes widened and he sat up like he was just shocked. Before Ellie knew what was happening, he was already off the bed and grabbing his shirt. "I'm sorry. I-I just thought that- well I'm just really stupid with this and-"

A warm, bubbly feeling started to spread throughout Ellie's body as he continued stammering as he tried to get his shirt situated. She sat up and perched herself of the edge of his bed, grinning widely at him. God, he was just too adorable sometimes. She wondered how someone could look adorable and sexy at the same time. It seemed like Connor only had that ability.

"Connor," she said softly, easily catching his attention.

His eyes met hers and Ellie gave him a 'come hither' motion with her finger. He slowly stepped toward her, starting to pull his shirt back on. "If you cover that up I'm going to get upset," she teased, tilting her head.

Connor's eyes widened and the blush on his cheeks grew darker as he reluctantly dropped the shirt.

He stopped in front of her and Ellie wasn't happy with the distance. She hooked her finger in one of his belt loops and pulled him closer to where their legs were touching. "Connor, I was just going to ask how far we both wanted to go before…well, you get what I mean," she explained. She put her hands on the sides of his waist and grinned up at him. "You did nothing wrong, I swear."

A deep sigh escaped from him as he sat beside her. "Sorry, I just thought- crap, I feel stupid now."

Ellie smiled warmly at him and decided to take the initiative again. She scooted over and moved into his lap, straddling his hips. "Connor, you know that I won't get mad at you, right? I know you'll stop if I ask you to. And I'll do the same for you," she leaned forward and kept her lips from touching his own. "Now, I'm going to return the favor."

His brows slightly pinched in confusion. "What?"

Ellie bit her lip and took a deep breath as her heart hammered nervously in her chest. _It's okay. He's seen me in a bikini top before. Just think of it that way instead of you wearing a bra._

She sat up straight; giving him what she hoped was a seductive look before grabbing the hem of her sweater. Before he could say anything, she slipped it over her head and tossed it down with his shirt.

Thank God she wore one of her cute bras today.

Ellie started to grow nervous as he just…stared. Was something wrong? Did she go too far for him? Crap.

She suddenly felt self-conscious. She knew her figure wasn't overly impressive. Claudia always teased her about only being a B-cup all of the time.

Her thoughts were thrown out the window when he slowly started to trail his hands up her sides. "E-Ellie…show me what you want," he whispered as his eyes met hers.

The warm, bubbly feeling filled her up again and she smiled down at him tenderly. God, he was something else.

The warm feeling slowly turned into a low, intense burn as his hands skimmed over her bare skin. Ellie could feel her hands start shaking as she reached for his wrists, but she steeled herself. She knew she wanted this, and she knew Connor wouldn't be doing this unless he really wanted to.

Her small hands barely were able to wrap around his wrists as she slowly pulled them up to her chest. "It's okay," she whispered, as she let go of his wrists and wrapped her arms around his neck.

A small whimper managed to escape her throat as he finally touched her breasts. Ellie hungrily pressed her lips to his, trying to show him that he was doing okay.

The low, intense burn started to turn into an inferno when he turned them to where he was leaning over her again. His hands suddenly seemed everywhere as their lips and tongues met again and again.

Ellie was gasping by the time Connor moved his lips down her jaw and latched onto her neck. She buried her fingers into his hair as he moved down to her collarbone. "Connor…"

The door slamming shut downstairs caused them both to stiffen.

"Connor?"

Ellie met Connor's eyes, feeling just as panicked as he looked. They both scrambled off the bed and reached for their clothes.

"Crap, how are we-"

Ellie remembered something Claudia told her once and put a finger to his lips as she finished pulling her sweater down. "I have an idea. Just play along," she whispered.

She glanced over at his personal movie collection, trying to find a title that she didn't watch yet.

_The Last Mohican_ stood out to her and she grabbed it. "Okay, let's go. You go first."

Connor opened the door for her, looking mortified. "Ellie, he's gonna know. He's not stupid," he whispered.

Ellie arched a brow. "I know that. This is just going to force all of us to not talk about it. Now move it!" she ordered with a teasing grin. She knew they would never be able to pull one over on Mr. Kenway, but this would have to do.

Connor made his way downstairs and Ellie took a deep breath before following him. She hoped she looked put together at least.

"Ah, there you are," Mr. Kenway said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. He arched a brow when Ellie was right behind him. "Miss Johnston, I didn't know you were here…and upstairs," he stated, giving Connor a look.

Before her boyfriend could break down and ruin everything, Ellie jumped in. "Sorry Mr. Kenway, Connor was telling me about movies that show the Mohawk culture accurately- and me being the nerd I am- I wanted to watch one." She held up the DVD, hoping that the awkward tension that was beginning to fill the room would fade.

Mr. Kenway didn't look convinced, but thankfully, he dropped it. "That's nice of you, Connor," he said with a smirk toward his son.

Ellie mentally smacked herself. _Why couldn't Mr. Kenway be the dimwitted, unknowing parent you see in movies and stuff?_

Trying to salvage as much as she could from the situation, Ellie pulled on Connor's sleeve. "I'm ready to go now," she said gently, grinning up at him.

Connor gave her a thankful look. "Okay, I'll grab our coats."

Mr. Kenway was still smirking knowingly as they left.

* * *

Connor had never felt so mortified in his life. But, the afterglow of what happened with Ellie was still buzzing through him so it wasn't as bad as it usually would have been.

It was almost an overwhelming feeling, he realized. Not only did she want to be that intimate with him, she trusted him completely. He could see that she meant what she said and it was unbelievable. He couldn't remember a time someone said they trusted him that much.

His musing stopped when he walked back into his own house. He took his time taking off his boots and hanging up his coat.

"Connor, quit stalling. We need to talk," Haytham said, sounding amused.

Taking a deep breath, Connor slowly made his way into the living room, where his dad was seated on the ottoman. Haytham gestured to the couch, taking a sip of what looked to be scotch. "Take a seat."

Connor slowly sat down, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Now, we both know that's not why Miss Johnston was up in your room. My only advice is to not be stupid."

Connor looked up at him in surprise. "Wait, what? No lecture?"

Haytham sighed and reached for his glass of scotch. "From what you told me, your mother already gave you that lecture. And as much as I hate to admit it, it was probably a hell of a lot better than what I want to tell you."

Despite his humiliation, Connor was curious now. "What do you want to tell me?"

Haytham arched a brow before setting his glass down. "For one, remember that this girl is showing how much she trusts you with everything you do. Two, you are a bloody arsehole if you betray that trust, so don't. Third, as I've stated before, don't be stupid. Be safe. And that's my public service announcement of the night."

Connor couldn't hold back a snicker. That was almost exactly what his mom told him.

"What's so funny?" Haytham asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"Nothing. Mom just said something along the same lines only she threatened me at the end," Connor explained, looking toward the picture that now sat on the TV hutch. He was surprised when he came home for Winter Break to find the picture of his mom next to the TV, but he was grateful all the same.

It was a picture, probably from before she was pregnant with him, and she was smiling and pushing her hair away from her face and he recognized his grandparent's old house in the background.

"Did she now?" Haytham chuckled as he stood up and walked toward the kitchen.

Connor stayed put, because he knew his dad wasn't done talking and was surprised to see Haytham holding two bottles of ale. "Here," he said, holding out a bottle for Connor.

Connor tentatively took it and rubbed the back of his neck as his dad casually sat next to him and looked at the picture too.

"Do you want to know why I was so drawn to her?" Haytham suddenly said, glancing at Connor.

"Sure," Connor slowly replied. What the hell? Haytham usually didn't get all touchy-feely. Connor came to the conclusion that Haytham probably was tipsy when he got home…and the scotch probably didn't help.

Three bottles of ale and many stories about Ziio later, Connor finally asked the question he was dying to ask. "Does it bother you…when we talk about her, I mean."

Haytham rubbed his eyes before taking a big swig of his third ale. "It doesn't bother me…it just reminds me of how big of an arse I made myself," he paused and glanced at Connor before looking at the picture again, "I was never more happy to be with someone…and that's why you should listen to my advice."

"And why is that?" Connor pressed. He knew he would never get answers like this out of his dad when he wasn't tipsy, so he was taking his chances.

"Because I betrayed her trust and lied to her. I lied to her and pushed her away and that's why we're in this situation. We all could have been happy together, but NO! I had to botch it up and think I was helping everyone out!"

Connor was shocked by the anger he heard in his father's voice at the end of the statement. He stared at Haytham and saw something he recognized. Self-loathing.

Connor knew his father regretted what he did, but he didn't know it went this far.

"Sometimes, I try to think that none of this happened, and that I would wake up and see her again...I never even got to say goodbye and it's all my fault," Haytham suddenly whispered, setting his bottle down and getting up.

He swayed a little as he walked toward the stairs.

"I think that all the time," Connor said quietly. Damn, it was times like this he realized how alike he and his father were. It didn't help that he was nursing his second bottle of ale and that he couldn't hold his alcohol worth a crap.

Haytham halted and stared at him for a second.

Connor took a deep breath. "I…I know she didn't get the tumor removed because of me. She didn't have the money because she had me," he admitted.

He knew his mom probably would have berated him for saying that, but that was why Connor related to his father so well. Haytham hated himself for pushing her away. Connor sometimes hated himself for putting his mom in that situation.

"Oh my dear boy," Haytham groaned, walking back and sitting down again. "Believe me when I say she never regretted having you. She loved you so much. And we both know she didn't get that tumor removed because the damn doctors told her it wasn't dangerous. And your mother was the definition of not spending money if you don't have to so she didn't."

Connor felt tears pricking at his eyes and he quickly blinked and rubbed them before they could escape.

Both of them stared at the picture again, with their minds full of 'what if's.


End file.
